Peacemaker
by psychoman222
Summary: SotOR-verse. Cloud was on the cusp of becoming a SOLDIER, when a single mistake took his dream from him. But that mistake drew certain... attention to him. And who is to say that being a SOLDIER is the only way to be a hero?
1. Chapter 1

**Peacemaker**

_Chapter 1_

_End of a Dream_

Cloud awoke to being hit in the head with a pillow.

This was a common occurrence.

"What is it, Alexei?" He moaned, not yet wanting to open his eyes.

Alexei Mosin. A Modeoheim native who was very sociable. He also loved throwing things.

One of three people Cloud shared a room with. And, like everyone else who bunked here, including Cloud, a SOLDIER aspirant. Well, actually a SOLDIER. They passed training yesterday. In two days they would begin to to get their enhancements.

"Tomorrow is our graduation ceremony."

"That's tomorrow. why are you getting me up _now?_"

"_Because, _comrade, _today_ our... personal restrictions are lifted. We can go out into town, what was contraband before _may_ not be now, and… you can go get your stuff out of lockup."

_That_ got Cloud's attention. In order to train discipline, SOLDIER aspirants were allowed very few personal effects, and were not permitted to leave the grounds unsupervised.

And in Cloud's case, the confiscation of personal effects made sense to him.

And the personal effects that _he _ brought with him were _very_ valuable.

"What's in there that's got you so excited, anyway?" Alexei inquired.

"Come with me to the quartermaster, and I'll show you."

"Okay, since you got me all curious." Alexei said with a grin.

When they arrived, the quartermaster took one glance at Cloud, and began rummaging through the inventory.

"Let me guess, Strife to pick up his 'personal effects'. Boy, If _that_ is what you call personal effects, I'd hate to see what you use for work." The quartermaster gruffly stated as he looked for said items.

Cloud shot him a grin. "The Company doesn't like us using stuff we brought from home."

"Okay, seriously, what the _hell_ did you bring with you?"

"Wait and see, Alexei."

The Quartermaster finally found what he was looking for, and handed a case to Cloud, who opened it to show Alexei the contents.

A Sniper CR rifle, and a Gold Armlet, both filled with Materia.

"A Gold Armlet!? How much cash do you _have_? That's something the Firsts would use!"

"I didn't pay for it. You see, Nibel Dragons really like shiny things. I didn't think it should go to waste just sitting in one of their hoards. Of course, the dragons disagreed, so I got out of dodge the second I was able, but not before I got a cool new spell for my Enemy Skill Materia." Cloud explained, tapping a golden Materia mounted in the Rifle.

"I remember going up to my mom, feeling so proud that I managed to nick something from a dragon. She was… not as enthusiastic. She threatened to ground me for a year… and then she found out about the burns. She was _not_ a happy woman that day."

"I'll bet. I mean, _damn_. I heard rumors about you, but nothing _that_ crazy."

"What kind of rumors?"

"Nothing bad. Just… fantastic. Like the rumor that you _walked_ all the way from Nibelheim to Costa del Sol, boarded a ship to Junon, then _walked_ from there to Midgar. And made the entire trip _alone_."

Cloud raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"How _else_ was I supposed to get here?"

Alexei looked at Cloud in shock.

"Wh...what about the _monsters?!"_

"That's what I brought the rifle, Materia, and armlet for."

"Comrade, if you had told the brass _that_ story, they wouldn't have bothered with the training program before accepting you."

"I doubt that."

Alexei was about to retort when his PHS rung.

"Hold on, Cloud."

He flipped the PHS open.

"Mosin here. Oh, hey Sig."

Siegfried Koch. Comes from Kalm. His family has a long military history, and it shows. He's usually the one who prevents things from getting out of hand when the officers aren't watching.

"Do you need Cloud and I to swing by?" Alexei asked. "Alright, we're on our way."

Alexei hung up.

"Sig needs us to head to the Sector Two slums. Apparently Theo is causing some trouble."

Theodore Browning. Midgar resident and 'slum rat'. Apparently used to run with some... unsavory types. If there's a vice to be found, Theo knows where it is.

"What do you mean by 'trouble'?"

"Trouble as in 'Publicly drunk and taunting the locals.' Apparently he wasted no time in taking advantage of our new freedoms."

"It's seven in the morning, how is he drunk?"

"Apparently, the bars in the slums follow the 'it's five o'clock somewhere' philosophy… as does Theo."

"And he's fifteen."

"They don't care. They only care that he has Gil."

Cloud sighed.

"Alright, let's mosey." Cloud said, equipping his gear.

"...Mosey?"

"Don't make me hurt you, Alexei."

Within fifteen minutes, they had met up with Siegfried and Theodore. Siegfried was restraining Theodore, while Theodore was yelling at a group of six people.

"You think I'm a sellout?! Maybe, but I'm gonna be a SOLDIER! A somebody! And unlike _you_, I won't be living in this shithole for the rest of my life!"

Alexei sighed.

"Cover me, Cloud. I'm going in."

It was the best option. If any one of the four could defuse the situation, it would be the friendly Alexei. Also, Cloud could fire a warning shot if _that_ proved insufficient.

Cloud nodded, and climbed onto a nearby building, and cocked the lever of the Sniper CR.

"Sorry about him, Comrades. he's just feeling a little excited about his new promotion. I am certain he will regret his words once he sobers up." Alexei says with his most charming smile.

"The hell I will! I'm the only one who will give it to them straight! They're NOTHING! Never will be! That's how it is!"

Those words would ordinarily be brushed off.

However, Theodore was wearing a Shinra uniform.

Hearing the words that they long believed the Megacorporation thought of them, confirmed by someone who used to be one of them, caused things to boil over.

One of the people Theodore was heckling pulled a knife.

Cloud noticed.

In less than a second, Cloud had focused his aim on the man.

In less than a second, he had adjusted for wind and the fall of the bullet.

In less than a second, the Deathblow Materia in his rifle activated as he pulled the trigger.

In less than a second, a bullet passed through the Pterion joint of the man's skull.

In less than a second, the man was dead.

In less than a second, Cloud's dreams were dead.

Contrary to popular belief, how you kill a man _does_ matter.

If you blindfire, and all of a sudden the return fire stops, that is easier to deal with.

If the person you kill is concealing their face, that also makes it easier.

If there is _some _possibility someone _else_ delivered the killing blow, that makes it easier, and is the reason executions by gunshot are done by an entire squad.

Looking a man straight in the face, and watching him drop immediately after you pull the trigger is an entirely different matter.

Cloud was petrified by what had just happened.

And still was when the MPs hauled him away in handcuffs.

* * *

><p>AN: No, I have not abandoned SotOR. In fact, All I need to do is crank out the boss battle, and it will be ready to post.<p>

PSYCHOMAN'S ENCYCLOPEDIA AKA THE ENPSYCHOPEDIA

OCs: Will be minor characters, but I included them because no military, even a private one, would let its grunts/cadets have private rooms. and there is no way you can _not_ develop a bond with people you share a room with for any significant amount of time, whether you like it or not.. And because they are people with a bond with the protagonist, they would come into the story eventually. As their coming up was inevitable, I figured I would give them _some _substance. And there is no way I would be stooping to the level of having Cloud, Kunsel, Luxiere, and Zack all be bunk buddies. It is just too contrived. Also, There is a theme in my OC's names. Bonus points if you figure it out.

Also, don't worry. Theo isn't going to be completely irredeemable. He lets his temper and vices get to him, but he's not going to be 'that guy who has no good qualities whom everyone wants to punch.'

CLOUD'S EQUIPMENT: with a few exceptions, most of Cloud's Materia, and his weapon, are found either in the Nibelheim region, or on the way from Nibelheim to Costa Del Sol. The exceptions are his Steal, Enemy Skill, and Barrier Materia, the last of which was not explicitly mentioned in this chapter.

COCKING THE LEVER: According to in-game models, Sniper CR is a lever-action rifle, which means the gun is 'cocked' by operating the trigger guard 'lever'. It was invented around 1848, and was the first 'repeating' mechanism.

WHY CLOUD SHOT THE GUY: He pulled a knife during a tense situation. Cloud panicked because he thought one of his friends were going to get stabbed.

ADJUSTING FOR WIND AND FALL: Basically, just because bullets go really fast doesn't mean gravity stops working. Adjusting for fall is basically saying 'okay, how far away is my target, and how much is my bullet going to drop in the meantime?' Same with wind. 'how hard and in what direction is the wind blowing, so where am I going to aim to make sure the bullet goes where I want it to?'

Basically, in real life, being a sniper is less like 'line up crosshairs, pull trigger' and more of 'doing a hell of alot of complex math in your head, point your gun in a different direction than your target, and hitting it anyway.'

Granted, at relatively short range, in the enclosed space that is a Midgar slum meant he had to adjust his aim very little, but the point remains.

PTERION JOINT: Point Just behind the temple, where the parietal, temporal, sphenoid, and frontal bones of the skull connect. Is the weakest point of the skull, and an artery runs directly beneath it. In other words, Cloud scored the mother lode of headshots.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Peacemaker**_

_**Chapter 2**_

Cissnei's eye twitched as she glared at the large stack of papers in front of her. Why was there so much paperwork for an off-the-books operation like the Turks?

Thankfully, a distraction came in the form of Reno entering the room, and sauntering over to the office coffee machine.

"Mornin', Cissnei."

"Good morning."

"Man, sometimes I hate this job. We get stuck doing the stupidest shit."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"I gotta interrogate this wannabe SOLDIER. It's an open and shut case, and SOLDIER has their own guys for stuff like this, but the boss wants me there anyway. And why's it gotta be me, anyway? Lowlifes I can do all day, but boot-polishers like that guy just plain rub me the wrong way, yo."

A plan began to form in Cissnei's mind.

"Why don't I take over for you? Boss won't mind, as long as it gets done."

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Sure, but I have my own important mission I need to do, so if you could cover me…"

"Say no more. I got'cher back."

"Great. Just make sure that the papers on my desk get into Tseng's inbox by tomorrow." Cissnei said, as she sprinted out the door.

"Wha-? YOU TRICKED ME, YOU LITTLE BI-" Reno's yell was cut off by the soundproof door closing.

Just outside of the interrogation room, Cissnei met up with Tseng.

"I'm filling in for Reno." She answers preemptively.

Tseng lifts an eyebrow, but nods.

"Tell me, what do you think?" he says, gesturing to the blond on the other side of the one-way mirror.

"Eight out of ten. Now, what am I supposed to be looking for?"

Tseng slightly rolled his eyes.

"I think he might be a good candidate for the Turks."

"What makes you say that? Seems like every other SOLDIER… though it doesn't look like he has his Mako yet."  
>Tseng passed her a manila folder.<p>

"Mr. Strife here has exhibited extreme competence in the past. We have confirmed that he made the trip from his hometown of Nibelheim to Midgar solo, on foot. As you well know, the monsters on that route are nothing to trifle with. He also is extremely skilled at finding things. He managed to track down a Summon Materia that we had thought lost when the Gongaga reactor blew up, without actively looking for it. He took to survival exercises like a duck to water. And, as we just learned an hour ago, he is an incredible marksman."

"What happened?"

"There was an altercation between his squad and some civilians. Mr. Strife arrived late to the encounter, and took up a firing position 'just in case things got ugly,' as he put it. He swears he saw one of the civilians pull a knife, and so he fired. Perfect shot, straight to the Pterion joint. He claims he was aiming a warning shot, but adjusted it when he saw the man pull the knife. If that is true, he had less than a second to aim."

"So, obviously his story doesn't hold up. He must have had longer to line up the shot. And you implied no one else saw him pull the knife."

"Yes, and no. While he was the only one who saw the knife actually being unsheathed, the victim dropped it when he died. Cameras observing the area saw his gun barrel noticeably shift just before taking the shot. Coupled with the fact he was noticeably shaken by the experience, it most definitely was done in the heat of the moment, either way. And even if he _was _ in the wrong… well, the Turks aren't exactly known for having clean hands."

"So, you sound like you've made your decision. What do you need _me_ for?"

"Before I make my final verdict, I need to know… things that aren't in a file. His thought processes and personality. And even if I _was_ completely sold on having him in our ranks, _he_ would still need to be convinced. A friendly face would help with that."

"Okay, simple enough."

With that, Cissnei entered the interrogation room, flashing her best smile.

"Hi there. I'm Cissnei. pleased to meet you, though I wish it was under better circumstances." She said, offering her hand for a handshake. Just as she expected, it threw him off. Most people expected an officer who would get in their faces when being interrogated. He was quick to recover, though, as he shook her hand.

"Cloud Strife, Ma'am."

"Please, call me Cissnei, Cloud. Now, I heard about what happened. Are you okay?" She asked. People tended to be more talkative when they think you care.

"Physically? Untouched. Mentally… well, I just shot a guy. I know I shouldn't care, the guy _did_ pull a knife on my squadmate, but… I kinda feel…sick."

Cissnei held his hand. Physical contact tended to generate feelings of familiarity.

"That's good, Cloud. I'd be worried if you didn't. Although… that shot you made, that was pretty impressive. Where did you learn to shoot? And don't say Shinra, I know troopers that can't hit the broad side of a barn."

"I taught myself. I used to help support my Mom by hunting monsters in the mountains. Mainly wolves, for their pelts."

Cissnei nodded.

"Do you feel the incident could have been avoided?"

Cloud's eyes practically _ignited_ with fury. Cissnei was sure that if this was combat, she'd be seeing a Limit Break going off right now.

"Hell. Yes. If Theo had just kept his mouth shut, this could have been avoided. If Theo hadn't decided to go binge drinking on 7 a.m. on a _Wednesday_, this could have been avoided. If that civilian had done _anything_ but pull a weapon, this could have been avoided. If I hadn't freaked out and simply fired a warning shot, _like I said I was going to_, this could have been avoided. But, the die is cast, and I just need to see what it lands on."

Cissnei once again held hands with Cloud, but this time it was not a calculated decision.

"I think I can help with that, Cloud. You see, although you were acting to defend others, we can't be seen promoting you immediately after shooting a civilian, even though your promotion to SOLDIER has nothing to do with the incident. However, that will mean that you will be stuck in a bureaucratic limbo while the heat dies down, and that means you won't really have a job here...unless we temporarily transfer you to a different department. Thankfully, there are openings in the Department of Administrative Research, where I work."

"Sounds… clerical. But if you're working there, it can't be too bad." After a second, Cloud looked like he mentally slapped himself.

Cissnei chuckled. "Oh, trust me, we'll make sure you don't get bored. My boss will be back later with the paperwork to make things official. See you later." Cissnei shot him a wink as she left the room.

"So, how was that, Tseng?"

"...I think that you may have established _too much_ of a rapport."

Cissnei shrugged. "I can always let him down afterwards, if it comes to that."

Tseng raised an eyebrow. "If?"

"Hey, he _is_ kinda cute. Anyway, see you later, boss."

"Damn teenagers." Tseng muttered under his breath.

When Cissnei returned to the Turk office, she was surprised to see Rude sitting at her desk, meticulously filling out the papers. Just as surprising, there was only about a tenth of it left.

"Did Reno…" Cissnei began.

"Yes." Rude answered her question before she asked it.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not. I'm getting a pair of shades out of this."

"Um, aren't you getting ripped off? Sunglasses cost like, twenty gil."

"Nope. I'm talkin' top shelf stuff. Closer to Two thousand. Of course, Reno says he knows a guy who can get them for less, but it's the thought that counts."

"...And a few thousand gil is less important to Reno than a couple of hours of paperwork."

"Hey, everyone's got different priorities. Speaking of, where did you take off to?"

"Oh, big news. Odds are, we're getting a new recruit. He's kinda… Anti-Reno. Where Reno has street smarts, this guy has… bumpkin smarts. If you ever get stuck in the middle of nowhere, he's your guy."

"How's he in a fight?"

"Don't know for sure, but he managed to impress Tseng with his marksmanship, and he managed to get into SOLDIER, though he hasn't gotten his Mako yet."

"Damn. Well, if nothing else, you'll always have someone to push your paperwork onto. I can't do it for myself, Reno, _and_ you every time."

"Wait, you do Reno's paperwork for him _every day_? What, does he get you a pair of designer glasses _daily_?"

"...I like to have spares."

* * *

><p>AN: While this is going to be a Turk-centric fic, I have no knowledge of Before Crisis or other such additions to the FF7 story, besides Crisis Core. As such, I am pretty sure there is going to be some differences.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

_**Peacemaker**_

_Chapter 3_

Cloud absentmindedly fussed with his tie. He thought he was going to have to learn to tie one but apparently it was Department of Administrative Research policy to only use clip-on ties. Strange.

"Cloud, was it?" A rather imposing man, wearing shades and stud earrings asked.

"Yes."

Said man extended his hand.

"Name's Rude. We're starting you off easy today. You got anything against paperwork?"

"... Nothing personal. Why?"

"Good. Reno and Cissnei always try to foist it off on me, and it'll really help me out if you could take some of it off my hands."

"Sure thing. But why are they here, if they hate paperwork so much?"

"For one thing, our job ain't just pushing pencils. For another… you don't sign up for our department. We decide if we want you or not. If we do… we get you. Like you. You _were_ going into SOLDIER. We decided we wanted you. And here you are. Now, I took care of our backlog yesterday, and today just started, so there's really only my expense report to fill out. I'll walk you through it. Be glad that unlike _some_ people, I actually keep my receipts."

Cloud took one of the receipts, and saw three items on it.

1 12-oz. canister of 3-Methylfentanyl.

1 Crowbar

1 Bolt Cutter

That first item caused Cloud to have a similar sensation to deja-vu, before he realized what it was.

"What the hell did you do, 'Research' some guy's 'Administration' by knocking him out and stealing his briefcase?"

"Actually, yeah. How'd you know?"

"Knockout gas grenade, bolt cutters for any padlocks on the case, and a crowbar to help force it open if there were other locking mechanisms. Next time, don't go wholesale. buy it at different shops. Actually, why am I giving you _advice_ for mugging people? That's something I should be _discouraging_."

"Like I said, we don't just push pencils here. And normally, I _would_ buy that stuff separate, but that particular store is run by Shinra specifically _for_ cloak and dagger stuff. They don't ask questions, and no one asks _them_ questions. Although I _do_ find it curious you recognise the composition of knockout gas on sight."

"...I have something of an eidetic memory."

"Hm. That could be useful in our line of work. Anyway, Let's get cracking. I want this done by eleven o'clock."

"I don't think it'll take me that long, but why eleven?"

"We're meeting the others at Goblin's Bar for lunch at noon, and it'll take time to get there. You're buying."

"...Can I ask why I'm being so generous?"

"Tradition. Other Departments greet their new guys with pranks and snipe hunts. We cut the bullshit and make you buy us lunch the first day. Besides, it's a great way to break the ice."

"Sounds reasonable, then. However, there's going to be a problem. I'm a little low on liquid assets at the moment."

Rude took a folded envelope out of his lapel pocket, and handed it to Cloud.

"What's this?"

"Your signing bonus."

Cloud opened the envelope, and looked at the check inside.

"Okay, this will be enough. Although, there's a typo on here."

"And that is?"

"There are two sets of decimal points."

"One of those is a comma."

Cloud looked at the check in shock.

"Okay, screw buying you lunch. I could probably buy the entire damn bar for you guys."

"The Boss beat you to it. That's why we like going there. We get employee discounts."

"There are worse reasons to haunt a place, I guess."

"Exactly."

"Say, why am I being paid so much? I was just transferred this morning."

"Well, us Turks know where _a lot_ of skeletons are buried in the Company. It makes sense to make us happy. Less chance of us digging up those skeletons."

"So, it's hush money."

"Pretty much. Oh, and before you ask, Turks are those who work in the Department of Administrative Research. It's less of a mouthful."

"I see."

Sure enough, under Rude's tutelage, filing the expense report was done quickly, and they were walking into Goblin's Bar with time to spare. There, Cloud saw two familiar faces.

"Sig! Alexei! Fancy bumping into you two! What's up?"

"Just grabbing lunch. What's with the suit?" Alexei answered.

"I got drafted by the Department of Administrative Research. They're giving me a paycheck until the heat dies down from the incident this morning. How's Theo? He sobered up yet?"

"Yes. He withdrew from SOLDIER."

"Why? He worked really hard to get where he was."

"Why do you think? Not only was he a sliver away from a BCD, well… he felt guilty. He didn't feel right wearing the uniform when you couldn't, given that he started the confrontation. So, he left."

"I… see."

"Speaking of which, I must thank you for your intervention, Cloud." Sig spoke up.

"Don't mention it."

"I'm afraid I must. I am a Koch, and I repay my debts." Sig said, handing over a box that he withdrew from the backpack resting by his feet.

Cloud opened it, and it turned out to be a revolver.

"That is a Shin-Ra Peacemaker, a standard issue sidearm for officers back in the day. It was my Grandfather's, and later my Father's."

"Sig, I can't accept this. This is an heirloom of yours…"

"I am a member of SOLDIER, a unit that specializes in close quarters. I have no need of a sidearm, and I do not want to lose it on a mission. As such, it has two possible fates. One, it sits, collecting dust in an attic. A sad fate for such a stalwart companion. Two, I give it to you, and it serves you as it did my Grandfather and Father. I, its rightful owner, choose the latter."

"...Thanks, Sig."

"You're welcome."

After spending several minutes chatting with his former squad, Cloud eventually made his way to the Turk's reserved table, where Rude was waiting for him, and waited for the others to arrive.

* * *

><p>BCD: Bad Conduct Discharge. Sometimes confused for a Dishonorable Discharge. (BCDs are for misdemeanors, DDs are for felonies.)<p>

3-Methylfentanyl: An extremely potent sedative, it is the closest thing we actually have to knockout gas, used during the Moscow Theatre Hostage crisis of 2002. I'm pretty sure it hasn't been used since, since it has a 15% fatality rate when used in such situations. (For reference, gas attacks during World War 1 had a 7% fatality rate.)


End file.
